Comments on: Remembering the Hippie Trail

By: Christopher Munt Ryan

Christopher Munt Ryan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:54:24 +0000

69-70 Australia via SEASia, India, Nepal etc. overland to UK.would love to hear of anyone who inhabited the Bakery between Feb-May 70, our little place up by Swyambunath above the rifle range; Nakal’s, Bishnu’s Chai and Pie palace, and of course Ling Kesar Tibetan Restaurant, where I left my rucksack, meaning to return…

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:15:08 +0000

Regarding what DEK says. There were certainly many on the trail who were took advantage of both the people of the country in which they were guests, and their fellow travelers. I was so sick of seeing these abuses along the trail, that I did not go to Nepal when I got to India, which I regret. But I just didn’t want to see any more hippies, even though I certainly would have been considered one. But I had my own money and didn’t scam anyone, I got stoned but went out and tried to meet the local people and see the world I was traveling in. Too many getting stoned all day and hardly leaving the hotel. Too many ripping off whoever they could. Too many with an arrogant attitude of “I’m a Westerner and superior to these people”. I guess the majority of travelers were Ok, but when I got to India, I just wanted to go places that weren’t flooded with hippies. So I missed Nepal….shit! tom.in.1969@gmail.com

By: DEK

DEK — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:26:07 +0000

My only direct experience was with a nest of stragglers who had fallen away from the main column and were holed up in caves on the southern coast of Crete. A depressing, dirty, glassy-eyed bunch, though what I found most disturbing were the few among their number with sharp, feral eyes: wolves among somnambulant sheep.

My actual dealings with them went well enough. After a few attempts to panhandle or sell me stolen property they decided that I was part of what was wrong with the world and left me in peace.

By: L'Aussie

L'Aussie — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 01:36:51 +0000

Hello, I’m a hippie from way back but never left Australia for the hippie trail. I’m writing a mainstream fiction novel set in Afghanistan, mainly Kabul where the main character is a hippie who arrived in the mid-70s and never left. As you can imagine she has a story to tell. The setting is in modern times so there’ll be plenty about the Taliban and the warlords and the Western forces. I’ve been enjoying reading this article and the comments and have found some interesting information for my main character’s backstory. Thank you so much for the post and for everybody’s first-hand accounts of the hippie trail.

Denise

By: Rod

Rod — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:08:17 +0000

and it cost me £9 in transport costs to get from Preston to Kathmandu. and I found a lump of Afghan black as big as a fist in a drawer in the YMCA in Calcutta. and was blown away by Gamelan……..ah

By: Rod

Rod — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:59:38 +0000

My mum cried as I left for my trip in April 1972. I stayed at Yucel, ate at Yenner’s and the Pudding Shop, Amir Kabir. and the Kesri in Delhi. Although the Kesri closed many years ago, the sign was finally removed in 2010 during redevelopment in Pahr Ganj. Anyway I’m off to old Stamboul next week (Nov 2011) to see what remains of memories. Peace and Namaste

By: Johan Flybring

Johan Flybring — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:39:19 +0000

Hello everyone!

My name is Johan Flybring, I am currently studying Contemporary Media Practice at the University of Westminster in London. I am passionate about travelling and the Hippie Trail has been a fascination of mine for a long time. I am actually in the early stages of making a documentary about the Hippie Trail, which will culminate in my recreation of the journey next year.

The itinerary and essence of my trip will be based on the stories of people who travelled the Trail back in the days. I would therefore like to interview as many people as possible to create a comprehensive chronicle of this wonderful part of history. These interviews would be filmed and would constitute a major part of my documentary.

Would any of you original overlanders consider letting me interview you for my project? Interviews can only take place in London unfortunately, but any contribution at all (e.g. old photos and videos, Skype interviews, etc.) would be greatly appreciated. Please contact me by email at jflybring@aol.com.

Thank you for your time.

Best regards,

Johan Flybring

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:40:33 +0000

I went overland to Nepal in 1975. I rarely talk about it but the places I saw are with me to this day. The following words of T.S.Eliot, from his poem ‘Little Gidding’ may be of interest:
‘We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.’

By: Yogavacara Rahula

Yogavacara Rahula — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 07:49:32 +0000

Hi,
There seems to be a lot of intetrest in tales from the ’70s Hippie trail overland to India.
I made that journey in 1973. I am am now a Buddhist monk (since 1975). I have written an autobiography, One Night’s Shelter, which largely documents my overland travel from Amsterdam to Morocco, across North Africa to Greece and then on through Turkey to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Though the last half of the book is about my religious conversion, not hippie travel.
The book is posted on my blog: bhanterahula.blogspot.com (on the books page) and can be downloaded for free.
If you care to use any of the material describing my adventures on the hippie trail of the time, you can do so.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have any comment or questions.

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 07:15:18 +0000

40 years this month before a couple of likely lads set off for Australia from Liverpool in a dodgy old Commer van ,Get your Ya Ya’s out,Janis,Joe Cocker and Mad Dogs and Jimmie Hendrix

It wasn’t the dope,or doing it cheap it was the sheer freedom of it ,coupled with adventure.

All those that had to drive into Iraq and wait for the Shah of Iran to have his 2500th birthday party and reopen the borders,hello and what a time.
For me Aghanistan stands head and shoulders above everywhere else for the people ,the country and the exotic nature of the place felt in’71.

I still get the Bombay squits but small price to pay for an experience that changed our lives and can never be taken away

Thanks for the stories